On Sept. 8, 1984, the Boilermakers defeated eighth-ranked Notre Dame 23-21 in the dedication game of the Hoosier Dome. Junior defensive end Don Baldwin secured the win when he intercepted a Steve Beuerlein screen pass at the Notre Dame 35-yard line with 2:25 remaining. Purdue had 12 players on the field, which would have nullified the interception, but the referees failed to notice. Junior quarterback Jim Everett, who was named Purdue's starter the day before the game, completed 20 of 28 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns to earn "Sports Illustrated" National Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The inaugural Purdue football game ever played was Oct. 29, 1887, against Butler College at Athletic Park in the northern part of the capital city. Leading up to that game, Purdue called for volunteers to form its team. A 23-year-old by the name of Albert Berg, who lived across the Wabash River, was chosen as coach because it was believed he had some knowledge of the game from his days as a student at Princeton. He was hired at the rate of $1 per lesson. But Berg was a deaf mute, brought on by childhood spinal meningitis, and he had merely one week to prepare the squad of 12 men. No wonder Butler, which had organized its first team a year earlier, won 48-6. The game was described by author and playwright George Ade - an 1887 Purdue graduate - as "a low comedy reproduction of the Custer massacre at Little Big Horn."

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Enough of the talk.

It is time to play.

Since Dec. 5, when Jeff Brohm was hired as the 36th full-time head football coach in Purdue history, there has been plenty of talk.

About Brohm's offensive prowess and how he is the perfect coach to return the Boilermakers to national prominence. And about how his first game at Purdue will be against his alma mater, Louisville, and his former boss, Bobby Petrino.

Fans are excited about the direction the Boilermakers are headed - buoyed by Brohm, his coaching staff and their $65-million football performance complex - and rightfully so.

But now it is time to play.

"I think that everyone is ready for the football season," Brohm said. "I know our team is excited to get the season underway. As we get closer to Game 1, our guys are starting to get that itch and that feel that it is time to get out there on the field and showcase what we are all about and put all the talk behind us."

There is the matter of the 16th-ranked Cardinals and their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson.

"I know the University of Louisville has had a lot of success," Brohm said. "Obviously, I'm very familiar with them. Coach Petrino is an outstanding coach, knows how to win, knows how to motivate his players. He has a very experienced crew coming back.

"Lamar is an unbelievable talent. He deserved to win the Heisman last year, and he should be the front-runner for it this year. He is a guy who can really change the outcome of the game in one play. He is extremely dynamic. He works extremely hard as a team player. He has gotten better at the quarterback position, but where he's really a danger is with his feet."

Purdue and Louisville kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET in the Ally Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday. The game will be televised nationally by FOX as part of the new Big Ten Conference television rights agreement.

"Any time you play an opponent like Louisville the first game of the year, it's a great opportunity to showcase yourself on the national scene against a big-time opponent that's extremely well coached and has outstanding players and for the last few years has been absolutely outstanding," Brohm said. "We are looking forward to the challenge. Our guys have worked extremely hard. We have had a good fall camp, and now it's about displaying all the hard work that you put in and really putting it to use and seeing if you can put a better product on the field.

"Our guys are very confident in their ability. They have seen improvement, and we want to go out there and try to compete and fight, try to win a football game against an outstanding opponent.

"There are a lot of challenges for us to try to match up against those guys, but that's why you play the game. I know we're looking forward to Saturday night."